Of No Advantage
by NOTSANE
Summary: The entire gang deals with a test of power and knowlage.
1. Chaper 1

Dear Reader.this is not mine. I'm just borrowing the Buffy characters for my own personal gain and pleasure. This is one of my favorite dreams that I had so I decided to turn it into a story. This dream really put time into perspective and I hope it does the same for you. If you do not believe the same as I do about time, then feel free to stop reading at any given moment without any notice. Thank-you for thinking of this story as good enough for you to read. This story is after Fool for Love so just think along those lines. Sincerely.NOTSANE  
  
  
  
OF NO ADVANTAGE Chapter 1  
  
What is time? Time is but humanity's backbone. It was created to ensure that we truly exist in this world. Without time, we would have no memory of when we were born, how old we are, or any sequence of events. Imagine if time was never created. Hours, minutes, days; none of these words would play a part in our lives. We would live in fleeting fear of no order. God help us all if that ever happens.  
  
********  
  
Buffy groaned as her alarm clock awoke her from dreams of the past. She had dreamt of being Cecily. Buffy shivered at the thought of Spike loving her. 'That could never happen,' she optimistically thought. That in mind, Buffy jumped out of bed and into the shower. When she was dressed and ready, Buffy ran down the steps, determined to be happy so her mother wouldn't see the depression so clear on her and Dawn's personas.  
  
"Morning Mom. Morning Dawn." Buffy entered the dining room, biting her lip, as dreaded what she had to say next. "Morning Mom. Morning Dawn." 'Whoa! Where did that come from?' she thought as unknown fear washed over her. She glanced around the room. Everything was different. Some things were almost too clean, others covered with muck. The strangest thing was that all the clocks and calendars were missing as if they never invented. Dawn and Joyce were huddling in the corner, covered with grime and dust; their hair in knots and bows.  
  
"Morning? What's morning? Who are you? I know you. You're my baby. No you're bigger than that. Honey, you already said that." Joyce and Dawn flashed back to their original spots at the table, while the room had returned to normal. Every thing was equally clean and the clocks and calendars were back in place. Something elusive in Buffy told her to not say anything about the change in her surroundings. Instead, she said what she feared to say.  
  
"Did I? Sorry, I'm out of it today. A-are you ready to go to the hospital?" Buffy sat down next to Dawn and reached for the milk and cereal.  
  
"Yes, I am ready and there is no need for worry. This is a 'just in case' thing. It's nothing, I promise." Joyce smiled and passed Dawn the butter for her toast. "When you're done eating, Dawn, could you please go get the mail?"  
  
"Mom, it's too early for the mail. Look at the time." Dawn glanced at Buffy, worry etched on her face.  
  
"I know. I meant yesterday's mail. I didn't get a chance to retrieve it with all the packing. So, could you get it for me, please?"  
  
"Sure, I'm just glad you're not loosing your mind." Dawn bluntly stated.  
  
"Dawn!" Buffy hissed without thinking. "I mean, it's good that you'll do that for Mom. Can I talk to you in the kitchen? Now, if you don't mind. Grab the dishes." Buffy waited only a moment for Dawn to pick-up the bowls in front of her before she yanked her into the kitchen; nails digging into Dawn's arm.  
  
"Ow! Watch those claws of yours! They hurt like-" Buffy cut her off before she could finish her outburst.  
  
"What do you think you are doing? You're giving her morbid thoughts," Buffy harshly whispered.  
  
"What!? I am not! I'm-"  
  
"I don't care!. Just don't say things like that again. You'll scare her."  
  
"You're the pone afraid!"  
  
"Shut-up and get the mail." Dawn huffed and went out to the mailbox. , while Buffy started on the dishes. A few moments later, Dawn stepped back in, reading a letter out loud.  
  
"To the Summers Sisters,  
  
"We are pleased to invite you to a test of speed, skill and knowledge. There are many other candidates, only a small percentage were chosen to attend. You are among them and will come to a gala in the chosen ones' honor. For directions to the gala and the entertainment post, please call the following number: 666-666. But, be warned, in this game, there are no advantages, not even time. Please RSVP within twelve hours notice. Thank- you and Good Day.  
  
"Sincerely,  
  
The Lock"  
  
Buffy was speechless for a moment. Questions exploded like a thousand fireworks in her head. She finally settled on one. "The gala's in my honor?"  
  
"I don't think so. Look, see? The apostrophe is after the 's'. I think it means all those chosen to go."  
  
"Oh. Is 666-666 even a number?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Should we call?"  
  
"I think so. What could be wrong with getting directions?"  
  
Buffy shrugged and picked up the beige telephone on the wall. A gruff voice answered and said, "You calling for the gala?"  
  
"Umm, yes." Buffy glanced at Dawn who was mouthing, 'What?'  
  
"Close you're eyes and hang up."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Do it! and tell you're sister to do the same." Buffy hung up and relayed the message to Dawn, closing her eyes tightly. Dawn followed suit. A moment later, they opened their eyes and found themselves outside a mansion that looked like it could have fit the entire town on Sunnydale in it's front hall. It had the look of great wealth, as everything was impeccable; all bushes without the hint of being out of shape.  
  
The sisters stood in awe for a few moments, and recovered themselves and stepped to the mammoth front doors. Buffy stole a look to Dawn and rang the golden doorbell. The oak door was immediately answered by an aging man with silver locks of hair gently sweeping across the crown of his head. He had the grandfatherly look of innocence and pleasure to be around. he smiled kindly at the girls and said, "Hello, my dears. I believe you are the Summers ladies. 'Last to arrive, first with priorities,' I've always said. Come this way, if you please. My name is Julian Marquet, and I tend to the needs of the guests. So if there is anything you wish or require, please, just give me a call. Will you do that?"  
  
Dawn spoke up first. "Actually, we would like to know: a) how we got here, b) how is our mother doing and, c) what games are we going to play?"  
  
"And," Buffy added, "Who else is here?" They proceeded down the hall, which was decorated in fine golds and robust purples.  
  
"Those are all very fine questions, but I am only permitted to answer two of them. The last two will be answered at the gala, so I won't give you any advantages on the others. Right now, I am leading you to the wing you and your friends will share, so there are some people that you know here. Your mother, along with the rest of the world, is now frozen in time. Since the moment you closed your eyes, to be precise. You arrived here through magic, of course." They continued on their way in silence; climbing stairways of red velvet and silver rails; passing grand rooms; each of different color content. Buffy had never seen so many combinations and color hues. It seemed like this house was at the end of the rainbow.  
  
After about forty-five minutes of walking, they finally reached a kind of cull-de-sack of doors, each with a gold plate next to it. The threesome headed for the middle door. The plate next to it read, "Buffy and Dawn Summers. Group A"  
  
"What odes 'group a' mean?" Dawn inquired.  
  
"You will find out when the game starts. But, I must say this. You and your friends must be very talented to all be chosen for Group A. Even the normal humans were considered to be strong enough for the best group there is." Julian handed Buffy a silver key and bid them good-day. Buffy shrugged and opened the door at Dawn's pleading. They stepped into the most beautiful room they had ever even dreamt of.  
  
The walls and carpet were a deep midnight blue, with columns etched into them. The columns rose to form arches that melded into a black ceiling, that looked like the night sky. Only one of the arches were real; that lead to a white, silver and purple bathroom that was big enough to accommodate a dozen people. Two beds, fit fir royalty, were perched at opposite sides of the room; a small triangle of space between the head of the bed and the corner. Both beds had silver draperies and a swan with rubies for eyes, and wings that held the cascading draperies. From the tops of the beds, blurry rainbows sprouted upward and touched with the ones of the other bed. Two wide redwood doors sat on the left side of the room; with two on the right.  
  
Dawn opened the ones on the right, while Buffy started on the left. Dawn found a long, black corridor and headed down it without a word to Buffy. Buffy found a walk in closet bigger than Buffy's bedroom at home, filled with every sort of clothing to last a lifetime for the elder of the two. "Hey Dawn!" Buffy called out from the bellows of the closet.. "Check out these outfits.Hello? Where did she go this time?" She found her way out and saw the other door ajar. "Dawn. " she grumbled under her breath and started down the hall. Glowing crystals that hung from the unseen ceiling lit the way. At the end of the hall, a black door stood open; a soft glow illuminating the room behind the door frame. Buffy stepped through the threshold and into a dark room filled with candles. Dawn was sitting on a cushioned chair in one corner; Spike in the one next to it.  
  
  
  
{That was only chapter one. I have a feeling that I got you thinking it will be one thing, but it may not be what you're thinking. Tell me what you think will happen, and I might use some of your ideas. Thank-you for reading this chapter to the end. Have a nice day. -Sincerely, NOTSANE} 


	2. Chapter 2

Hello!! I am really sorry that I didn't update sooner, but my parents were taking me on all these different "vacations" as they called them. All they really were were trips to visit relatives that we visit every summer. And I am really worried about my grades. (Even if I have all 'A's' I still freak out if I get a grade lower then a 'B'. Don't ask me why.) I've been to California, Arizona, and Utah. My family and I are the only ones who live outside of the southwest. But that's okay. Well, now that I've told you about my family's frequent trips; let's get onto the story.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy sighed, while Spike and Dawn continued talking. Touching her hand to her forehead, Buffy said, "'Cause God knows I can't do anything without you being here."  
  
Spike looked up quickly, a slightly alarmed look on his face, but that faded when he saw that Buffy didn't have any weapons.  
  
"Hello Luv. What brings you here?" he asked with a coy smile. "Gosh, I thought you would've stopped by Harris' or Red's before you saw me. I'm flattered really."  
  
"I didn't know that everyone else was here because I certainly didn't want to see you here. How did you get here? It's not like you have a phone." Buffy glanced over at Dawn, who was looking questionably at a book that lay on the table.  
  
"My letter said to call, so I did; from a pay phone. Can't say I really enjoyed the surprise. Didn't even get a chance to grab my good lighter. But the room is nice." Spike gestured at his surroundings. For the first time, Buffy really noticed the room she was in. The walls were painted black; with brass light fixtures attached every couple of feet. It gave the room a constant night feeling that didn't sit well with Buffy. The plush black leather chairs that he and dawn sat in were placed sporadically in the right corner close to the hell door. A black four-poster bed was farthest from the door, with blood red sheets and pillows. The bathroom and closet were on the opposite side of the room the Buffy stood by, while a fridge lay next to the bed.  
  
After a moment, Buffy spoke, "It's nice, if you like the dead look. Then again, of course you do."  
  
"Hey Spike," Dawn cut in. "Who's William Hayden?" She was reading the book, which was apparently a poetry book. "Because, whoever he is, he didn't finish this book. There's a bunch of blank pages. Some of the poems aren't even finished."  
  
"Don't know him." Spike answered hastily as he walked over and grabbed it out of her hands. He shuffled through it and put it in the closet. .  
  
"Anyway." Buffy motioned to Dawn, "we should go see Willow and Xander." Dawn stood up cautiously, her eyes still on Spike. She gave Buffy a confused look as she went down the crystal lit hall. Buffy raised her eyebrows ay Spike as she followed Dawn's path.  
  
Willow seemed more eager to talk when she a Tara found their way into the Summers' room about ten minutes later. Their shared room was on the other side of Buffy's, but there was no connecting door.  
  
"Then what's that other door for?" Buffy asked as she eased the door open. "Oh my God!" she cried out. The closet was filled with weapons of every kind. Axes and swards hung from the walls, while sharpened stakes and crosses filled crates along the floor. Jars of holy water lined the shelves that were hung from the wall opposite of the door.  
  
"Wow." Willow was the only one of them that had anything to say, even if she didn't have much. After a moment, Tara joined her in that.  
  
"I guess it's for the game we're gong to play. I think."  
  
"Or it's for if Spike really starts to annoy me." Buffy deadpanned as she shut the door. "So what do you two know about this game?"  
  
"Only that it's going to start tonight at about ten. Julian let it slip. It's funny." Willow said laughing. "I told Xander that, and Anya immediately jumped in and said 'Well, we should go get a lot of sleep before we go. Or we can just have a lot of sex.' She grabbed him and dragged him back to their room. That was last night. I don't know if they died or they're still at it."  
  
"Well then I think it's time to 'wake' them up. Dawn could you go?" Dawn nodded at Buffy and headed out into the hall. After she left Buffy leaned into Willow and Tara. "Why is she here? I mean it's not like she's one of us fighters. Spike being here I can understand, because he helps, sort of. But she doesn't really do anything."  
  
"What if it's not that kind of game?" Tara asked slowly.  
  
"Yeah!" Willow gestured wildly. "What if it's something like chess, or even Candyland!?"  
  
"Okay Will, come back to reality. Judging by those weapons, I think it'll be a fighting competition-and not a game of Candyland. But that would be cool."  
  
"Hey Buff!" Xander strolled into the room, followed by a grumbling Anya and a sleepy Giles. "What took you so long to get here? And did you see the weapons? I saw mine and immediately thought of you."  
  
"You got some too? Wow. Hey Giles, did you get a-" Buffy was cut off by Giles' excitement.  
  
"A library? Yes! Some of the most valuable books I have ever seen. Who knew that, after centuries, the only copy of Senjenkdie would be here. Along with a complete guide to all ancient Japanese demons-including the strongest half-breed Inu-"  
  
(a/n: sorry, had to put in a mention. There will be more of those, but it won't be part of the main story line.)  
  
"Giles we get the picture." Anya turned to Xander. "Can we go back and have more sex now? We know that they are all okay now, and they know that we are doing fine, so let's go."  
  
"See, I try to teach her discretion, but it's just now sinking in."  
  
"Don't worry Xander we understand." Buffy sighed as the silence set in. Silence that was too short, as a voice rang out across the room.  
  
"Well, what a happy reunion. Makes me feel all gooey inside. Maybe I should leave." Spike smirked as he leaned against Buffy's bedpost, puffing slowly on a cigarette.  
  
"Yes Spike, why don't you?" Buffy turned reluctantly while everyone settled back to watch them argue.  
  
"Can't leave. Jules just said for me to tell you that special luncheon party will be starting in about an hour. So I'd get ready if I were you. And dress for the occasion. He wanted me to wear a tux. Bugger that." Spike flicked his smoke onto the floor and stalked out of the room.  
  
"Well, I think that Xander and I need to go get ready. It could take up the whole hour, so don't come looking for us," Anya diligently said, pulling Xander out by the arm. Willow shrugged and headed out the door, as Giles and Tara followed suit, gazing back at Buffy and Dawn.  
  
When they were all gone, Buffy and Dawn both bathed and dressed, fretting constantly about their appearances. After about forty-five minutes, they were ready, but still anxious. Buffy had chosen a short light blue dress with a soft square neckline. To match, she picked out while strappy sandals and swept her hair up into a ponytail. A crystal cross hung from her neck.  
  
Dawn had selected, or rather Buffy selected, a conservative black dress that hung around her knees. It had a crew cut neckline and no sleeves. Emerald earrings and an emerald teardrop adorned her ears and neck, while green satin shoes fit her feet perfectly.  
  
Just as Buffy was finishing her make-up, Spike waltzed through the side door, startling her and pleasing Dawn, who was brushing out her long hair.  
  
"God Spike! Are you going to at least knock?!" Buffy cried out as she stormed out of the bathroom like an angry bull.  
  
"Well, Luv, it depends. Are you going to lock the door?"  
  
"There is no lock," Buffy admitted.  
  
"Then I guess the answer is no. Shall we go?" Spike held out his hand to Dawn, who cheerfully accepted. Buffy slid her gaze to his outfit. He had done nothing for the occasion, just thrown on his usual jeans and tee shirt, along with his classic black duster.  
  
Buffy shook her head and followed him and Dawn out into the hallway.  
  
In the hall, everyone else was dressed and ready to go. Giles and Xander were decked out in Tuxes, while Willow was wearing a light green dress that reached down to her ankles. Tara had picked out a dark purple dress with tapered ends and no sleeves. Anya had on a short red dress with a plunging neckline. Spike was the only one that really stood out.  
  
"Well," Giles began. "I guess we should call for Mr. Marquet." He moved toward a brass bell that was placed by the entrance of the cul-de-sac of rooms.  
  
"There is no need, "boomed Julian's kindly voice as he appeared suddenly. "Is everyone ready to go?" Willow looked around and nodded to Julian, who moved to a hidden door. Inside was an elevator, which they all crowded into. As it sped upward, Buffy's hand started to quiver from nervousness. She began to take deep breaths, hoping that nobody would notice.  
  
Someone did notice though. Spike, whom was standing right next to her, grasped her hand and smiled reassuringly. Buffy quickly pulled her hand away from his, leaving Spike with a hurt look on his face.  
  
The elevator stopped and Julian stepped off toward an oak door to the right. He swung it open and said, "Welcome to the Gala."  
  
(Yes, I know that it's a crappy story and that I really shouldn't write anymore, but I really don't care if people read it or not. I just want to write it, just for me to enjoy. I also write for my good friend Spikeslildevil, who never write back to me, but that's okay. I also want to apologize for not updating sooner. {Don't know if I said that already} Sorry! I'll shut-up now. See ya next chapter!) 


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